Toronto: Bill Condon Sees Relief at ‘The Fifth Estate’ Premiere

At the world premiere of “The Fifth Estate” and opening of the Toronto Film Festival, Bill Condon‘s overwhelming emotion was relief.

“We just finished it a minute ago,” the director admitted after the screening ended at Toronto’s Roy Thomson Hall. “I’m just very relieved.”

Condon allowed that the production, which began in January, enabled him to shoot in multiple European countries — including one that’s not often thought of as European.

“I really loved shooting in Iceland,” he explained. “I know it’s a very serious movie, but we had a lot of fun.”

Condon had told the audience just before the screening that people will disagree about the implications of Wikileaks and Julian Assange, portrayed by Benedict Cumberbatch. “I hope to start a conversation,” he added.

The post-screening bash, organized by the Toronto Intl. Film Festival as its opening night party, took place outside the Air Canada Centre — home to NHL’s Maple Leafs and the NBA’s Raptors.